Minnesota homes are evacuated as latest wildfire tears through Superior National Forest, while Dixie Fire continues to devastate California: 104 blazes rage across 12 states
Seventy five homes in the Superior National Forest in Minnesota were evacuated on Monday as fire responders prepared to fight the Greenwood Fire from air and on the ground.
The fire, which was first spotted Sunday near Greenwood Lake, had expanded to about 3.1miles by Tuesday, covering an estimated 2,000 acres.
The Minnesota National Guard is assisting in the firefighting efforts as warm, born-dry weather and gusty winds from the south were forecast to continue for days.
'Full suppression tactics are being used to reduce fire spread,' forest officials said.
Two helicopters, one airplane, eight engines, two bulldozers, and two tracked vehicles were assigned to the fire Tuesday, with a dedicated incident management team scheduled to assume full command Wednesday morning.
Aircraft dropped fire retardant on the flames near Highway 2 as Greenwood moved northeast on Monday.
The Greenwood blaze is just one 104 large fires and complexes currently being battled across 12 states, with more than 2.2 million acres of land torched, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Only two are deemed to be contained.
In 2021, the US has experienced a devastating wildfire season, which is set to break 2020's record, which was the worst to date.
in the year to date, there have been 40,681 wildfires reported in the United States, surpassing the 39,392 reported in the same period last year.
In California alone, 900,000 acres have burned this year. The Dixie Fire, the largest in the state and the country, has scorched 600,000 acres.
This Aug. 15, 2021, photo provided by U.S. Forest Service-Superior National Forest shows the rapidly growing Greenwood wildfire in northeastern Minnesota
A helicopter drops fire retardant on a portion of the Greenwood Fire near Highway 2. Seventy five homes in the Superior National Forest had to be evacuated
A tree stump smolders as the Dixie fire jumps Highway 395 south of Janesville, California
A firefighter monitors the Dixie Fire as it burns close to a home on August 16 near Janesville, California
Smoke rises above the Superior National Forest as the Greenwood Fire burns through towards Highway 2 on Monday, August 16
This year's number of wildfires has already surpassed the 39,392 fires recorded in 2020, while the number of acres burned is set to double 2020's count
Sheriff's deputies and emergency management personnel in Lake County, Missouri, went door to door Monday to notify residents that they were in the evacuation zone near McDougal Lake, or left notes on doors if nobody was home.
Many residences in the area, which is deep in the forest, are seasonal cabins.
Superior National Forest officials said in a statement that about 75 homes have been evacuated.
Incident Commander for the Superior National Forest, Jeb Backe, told the StarTribune that officials are specially concerned about new fires starting from sparks being carried by the wind.
'Our biggest concern is new starts, as we're limited on resources,' Backe said.
Other officials from the Superior National Forest have described Greenwood Fire's behavior as 'supreme,' as they expect the fire to remain very active for the next three to four days.
Two highways through the area were closed Monday as the firefighting effort picked up speed and the fire spread to the north.
The cause of the Greenwood Lake Fire has not been determined. The lake is located about 15 miles southwest of Isabella, the nearest town.
While the fire hasn't reached the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, the Forest Service on Tuesday closed a small portion of the wilderness area west of Isabella Lake.
The Superior National Forest also continues to monitor or fight several smaller fires in remote parts of the Boundary Waters and near Ely, using tanker planes, helicopters and bulldozers.
In a long exposure image, firefighters use a hose line to extinguish hot spots surrounding a structure off Highway 395 as the night sky during the Dixie Fire
Only two fires from the 104 burning across 12 states in the US have been contained
Meanwhile, the state Department of Natural Resources was fighting two other wildfires to the west that were detected over the weekend in remote parts of sparsely populated Lake of the Woods County, which had grown to 80 and 60 acres.
Firefighters in California faced more dangerously windy weather Tuesday as they struggled to keep the nation´s largest wildfire, Dixie, from moving toward Susanville, a Northern California county seat, and other small mountain communities.
The warnings came after the Dixie Fire grew explosively from winds spawned by a new weather system that arrived Monday afternoon.
Numerous resources were put into the Susanville area, where residents were warned to be ready to evacuate, said Mark Brunton, an operations section chief.
'It's not out of play, and the next 24 hours are going to be crucial to watch as to what the fire is going to do there,' he told an online briefing.
In California, 600,000 acres have burned in the Dixie Fire, which has been active for 34 days. Dixie is the largest of nearly 100 major wildfires burning across more than a dozen Western states.
Close to 6,000 personnel have been assigned to fight off the devastating fire.
Dixie might have originated when a tree fell on one of the power lines of the Pacific Gas & Electric Company on July 13.
On July 22, Dixie merged with the Fly Fire, while firefighters battled inclement weather conditions. Four firefighters were hurt when they were struck by a fallen branch.
Smoke rises above the Superior National Forest as the Greenwood Fire burns
Cars that were burned by the Dixie Fire sit parked in a field on August 17 near Janesville, California
Firefighters from a Chino Valley task force battle the Dixie fire, which has been active for 34 days
The weather forecast prompted Pacific Gas & Electric to warn that it might cut off power to 48,000 customers in parts of 18 California counties from Tuesday evening through Wednesday afternoon to prevent winds from knocking down or hurling debris into power lines and sparking new wildfires.
The Dixie Fire has scorched more than 940 square miles in the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades since it ignited on July 13. It´s less than a third contained.
Ongoing damage surveys have counted more than 1,100 buildings destroyed, including 630 homes, and more than 16,000 structures remained threatened. Numerous evacuation orders were in effect.
At least 186 water tenders have been employed in attempts to contain Dixie, as 75percent of a town's structure was incinerated.
The fire, fueled by bone-dry vegetation and 40 mph gusts, raged through the community of Greenville, leveling most of its historic downtown and leaving blocks of homes in ashes.
California was dealing with several other massive fires, including one called the Caldor Fire that started Saturday southeast of the Dixie Fire in El Dorado County that has grown to about 10 square miles.
About 2,500 people are under evacuation orders and warnings because of the Caldor Fire, which nearly tripled in size overnight, said Chris Vestal, a fire spokesman.
Planes circle the Greenwood Fire as they scoop water from Sand Lake and drop it on the wildfire as it moves northeast
Firefighters spray water on trees as they burn along Highway 395 during the Dixie Fire in the early morning of August 17
A home burns on Jeters Road as the Dixie fire jumps Highway 395. More than 1,000 have been damaged by Dixie
Across the state line in Nevada, school administrators delayed start times in the Reno-Sparks because of a cloak of wildfire smoke from the Dixie Fire blanketing the region.
More than 50 fires are active in Idaho, Washington and Oregon, according to the National Fire Interagency Center.
Drought conditions from the western US across the northern plains to Minnesota have raised wildfire risks across a broad swath of the country.
Fires across the nation have produced overwhelming levels of pollution and heat during what already was a summer with record-breaking temperatures.
Climate change has made the US West warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make the weather more extreme and wildfires more destructive, according to scientists.
The U.S. Forest Service said last week that it is operating in crisis mode, with more than double the number of firefighters deployed than at the same time a year ago. More than 25,000 firefighters, support personnel and management teams were assigned to U.S. blazes.
The remains of burned out cars and a destroyed home on Hicks Road
More than 50 fires are active in Idaho, Washington and Oregon, according to the National Fire Interagency Center
Drought conditions from the western US across the northern plains to Minnesota have raised wildfire risks across a broad swath of the country